A,B,C
by Lovetoread75
Summary: Darry's love story
1. Chapter 1

I do not own The Outsiders.

On one hot Summer day Darry Curtis was driving to his job. His boss gave him his new assignment, and Darry was driving through the middle class neighborhood looking for 110-15 Maple Street. It was muggy and humid out. It must've been over seventy degrees. Darry kept sipping water from his water bottle and wiping sweat off his face.

Finally, he spotted the address he was looking for. He pulled up, and got out of the truck. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. In a few minutes the door opened, and Darry saw a young woman in the doorway.

"Hi I'm Darryl. I'm here to fix the roof."

"Nice to meet you," she held out her hand, "I'm Alison. We've been expecting you." She had long black slightly wavy hair, tanned face and big blue eyes.

"The damage is on the left side of the roof," Alison said, "you can go up there and see for yourself."

"Who is it mom?" a boy appeared in the doorway.

"This is the man that's going to fix our roof, now get back inside Bobby," Alison said.

"So, I'm ready to get started," Darry said, wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his hand.

"Go ahead," Alison replied, smiling "And if you need anything just let me know."

"Ok, thanks," Darry said.

"What is his name?" the boy asked.

"It's Darryl, but you can call me Darry," Darry said, thinking that Alison looked way too young to have a kid.

"Here, you want a candy bar?" He asked the boy, and gave him a MilkyWay. Good thing Soda stuck it into Darry's lunch box this morning. "Thank you," the boy said taking the candy. He must've been four or five.

Darry took out his ladder and climbed on the roof. There was a lot of damage and that meant a lot of work. Darry's been working for a few hours. He was getting tired, and sweat was pouring down his face. Suddenly he heard sounds of someone playing the piano, and not just playing, but practicing scales. Darry realized the sounds were coming from inside the house. A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G - the same mundane notes again and again. It was annoying, and Darry wished whoever was playing would stop, but no luck the sounds continued on for about two hours. Then they finally stopped, and Darry sighed in relief.

Soon the door opened and Alison walked out. "How is it going Darryl?" she yelled, shielding her face from the sun with her hand.

"It's going just fine."

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" she asked, looking up at him. Darry wasn't expecting that. He never got asked to have lunch at any of his other jobs. He felt awkward, but felt it would be rude to refuse. "Thank you, that's really nice of you," he said smiling "I'll be down in a second."

Darry got down from the roof. He left his tool belt in the truck, and wiped his hands with a rag. Then he walked awkwardly into the house.

"The kitchen is that way," Alison pointed in the direction of the kitchen, "hope you like roast beef with mashed potatoes."

They walked into the kitchen. "Thanks again," Darry said.

"Oh, it's no big deal," she laughed, setting the plates with the food on the table."I want you to do a good job and to do that you need fuel so I'm going to feed take a seat," she prompted, and Darry took a seat.

Bobby was sitting in his high chair. He tried the potatoes. "I don't want this," he whined.

"Oh, that's not nice," Alison scolded, "I asked you what you wanted and you said mashed potatoes,"

"But I don't want it," he repeated. Darry looked at him and smiled. "He is a handful isn't he?" he said to Alison. She nodded, "he can be sometimes."

"I don't want this," Bobby said again.

"I'll tell you what," Darry smiled, "do you want to grow up big and strong?"

"Like you?" Bobby said. Darry smirked, slightly embarrassed, but then added, "yes like me."

"I'm going to grow up big and strong, and I'm going to be a fireman," Bobby said excitement in his voice.

"Well, then you have to eat this."

"This?" Bobby said like he didn't believe Darry.

"Yes this. It's going to make you big and strong." All of the sudden Bobby's facial expression changed. "Oh, ok," he said and took a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Alison chuckled – "I gotta invite you more often, he's really picky with what he eats."

"I heard the piano earlier," Darry said, picking up a piece of roast beef with his fork.

"Oh, that's me. I'm a piano instructor, and I practice a lot every day. Hope it didn't give you a headache or anything." Darry almost wanted to make a sarcastic comment but considering how nice she was and invited him for lunch he couldn't do that. "Oh, it's ok, no big deal," was all he said.

"Well, thank you, it was delicious," Darry said when he was done with his food.

"Glad you liked it," she smiled, getting the empty plates and putting them in the sink.

"Now I better get back to work."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Darry continued working on Alison's roof. It was a very hot day, and sweat was pouring down his face. He realized that he left his water bottle in the truck. Annoyed he decided to go get it, and started rushing down the ladder. When he was already close to the ground, his foot slipped and he started falling. "Damn," he cursed loudly, but it was too late, there was no way to catch himself. He landed awkwardly on the ground, spraining his ankle. He gritted his teeth in order to suppress a scream.

Alison heard the commotion, and ran out of the house. "Oh my God," she yelled, "are you hurt real bad? You are bleeding." Darry looked down and saw that his hand near the elbow was cut and was bleeding. Must've caught on the edge of the ladder.

"Let me help you, can you get up?" Alison asked, a shocked expression on her face. Darry tried to get up, but when he put his right foot on the ground he felt excruciating pain. He winced "I'm afraid I sprained my ankle."

"Here, let me help you." Alison walked by him, and he put one hand around her shoulder, then tried to walk.

"Easy," she said in a soothing voice, "small steps, there you go." They walked like this into the house. Alison got Darry settled in the room on the couch, and brought a chair near it so he could prop his foot up.

"Here," she gave him an icepack wrapped in a towel.

"What happened?" she asked, while cleaning and bandaging Darry's hand.

"I was going to get my water bottle, which I left in the truck, and I was going down that damn ladder too fast. My foot slipped." Darry swallowed hard.

"Are you sure it's not broken?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm pretty sure. I wouldn't be able to step on it at all if it was broken."

"Let me get you some water since you never got that water bottle."She left and retuned with a glass of water.

"So get some rest I'll be in the other room." Alison said exiting the room.

"I appreciate all the help," Darry said shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

So Darry was in pain, sitting on the couch thinking how he got into this mess when he heard Alison play scales again. He was ready to cover his ears except his hand was hurt and he couldn't do that. Yet he was trying to cover one of his ears with the good hand. Then the scales stopped, and she started to play a piece of music. Darry braced himself for the worst, but quickly stopped because the music was beautiful.

Darry was a tough guy who rarely paid attention to thins like art, music, painting. It wasn't his style it was more like Ponyboy to pay attention to those things, but even Darry could appreciate how beautiful what she was playing was. He caught himself holding his breath. In a little while the music stopped. Alison walked into the room. "How are you holding up?" she asked carefully.

"Much better," he replied, "the ice is helping, the swelling is diminishing and it doesn't hurt so bad anymore. If I'm lucky I might be able to get back to work tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, take all the time you need."

"That piece you were just playing," Darry said, "it was really nice. What is it?"

"Oh," she blushed a little, "it's Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. It's one of my favorites."

"I'm not into music and stuff," Darry said, clearing his throat "but that was great."

"Thank you," she said smiling. "You need something to eat," she added quickly, changing the subject. "I'll bring you some food."

"It's ok, I'm not hungry." Darry replied, "I already caused you so much trouble."

Darry didn't like the position he was in. Usually, he was the one in charge and he was the one taking care of others, but now he was completely helpless and had to rely on Alison. He couldn't help it but notice how genuinely nice she was. It was only his second day knowing her, but he could tell she was a really nice person, which was a rarity where Darry was from. Living on the East side of town people get hardened, they get mean and tough, they learn not to be nice to anyone, they learn to cheat and steal. It was really rare to meet a genuinely nice person, and here was this total stranger who was taking care of him.

Alison soon returned with a tray of food.

"Really, you shouldn't have," Darry said feeling uneasy.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. Then Bobby ran into the room. "Mommy what's wrong with Darry?" he asked.

"Darry hurt his foot."

"Are you going to be ok?" Bobby asked Darry.

"The way your mother is taking care of me," Darry said, "I'll be fine in no time." He smiled as he was saying that, and he noticed that Alison was blushing.

In a few hours the swelling diminished enough so Darry could walk without having to use Alison's shoulder for support. He was still limping though and was in no condition to drive. Alison gave him a ride home. "I can't thank you enough," he said when she dropped him off. Bobby was in the car with them, and he kept asking Darry different questions, and kept telling him that he was going to be a firefighter when he grows up.

"What happened?" Soda and Pony rushed to Darry as he walked in. Darry hated to be so vulnerable.

"It's no big deal," he tried to assure them, trying to sound indifferent "I was rushing down the ladder and I kind of fell." He looked down clearly feeling uncomfortable. "This is Alison," he said next, "I've been working on her roof. She's been nice enough to give me a ride." Alison nodded slightly, acknowledging the guys.

"I'm going to go, Darryl. You take a day or two if you need to. The roof can wait." With that she left.

Darry started walking towards his room.

"Do'ya need help?" Soda offered.

"No, I'm fine, I don't need help," Darry insisted. He was about to open the door to his room when Soda spoke up again.

"So?" Soda said, question in his eyes.

"What?"Darry asked confused.

"What's the deal?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You and this girl what's the deal?"

"Where you got that idea? There's no deal." Soda looked disappointed – "that's a shame 'cause she's really cute," he raised his eyebrows, "just saying. You've been single far too long." Darry waved him off, but deep inside he agreed with Soda - he's been single for way too long, and even though he knew Alison for only a few days so far he sure felt that there was something about her that he started to like.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next two days Darry stayed home taking care of his ankle. On the third day he went back to work. At the end of the day when it was just a couple of hours left to work Alison ran out of the house. "Hey Darryl," she called out. She sounded a little frantic. He looked down, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm going to leave you here on your own is that ok?"

"Sure, is something wrong?" he repeated.

"My dad just called. My mom is in the hospital. She had a stroke. I need to go there now." she was holding Bobby as she spoke and was fixing the collar on his shirt.

"Are you taking Bobby with you?" Darry asked, concern in his voice.

"I have to," she replied, barely audibly, "The babysitter couldn't make it on such short notice," she was close to tears, Darry could tell.

"Look," Darry said awkwardly, "I know you just met me a few days ago, but if you'd rather not take him I can repay a favor and stay with him. I have two younger brothers so I know how to act around a kid."

"Would you do that?" she asked in disbelief, a single tear rolling down her cheek, "It would be great. I really don't want to take him with me." She paused trying to control her tears, then continued, "Bobby you are going to stay here with Darryl. Mommy has to go for a little while ok?" He looked confused for a moment then looked up at Darry and said "ok." Darry wiped his hands with a rag and started going down the ladder, making sure to be really careful as he did so. The last thing he needed was another accident.

Soon Alison left, and it was just Bobby and Darry. "So what do you want to do champ?" Darry asked, kneeling down to Bobby's level, "Do you like sports?"

"Yeah, I like sports," Bobby said in a small voice. "I like baseball."

"Do you have a glove and a bat? We can play," Darry said smiling. Bobby was silent for a moment. He was just standing there shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "What's the matter?" Darry asked, surprised.

"I… I dunno how to play," Bobby said barely audibly and looked down. Darry chuckled. "That's not a problem, I'll teach you."

"You would?" Bobby asked, his eyes glowing, a happy smile appearing on his face.

"Sure," Darry replied patting him on the shoulder. "Now go get the bat and the glove." Bobby went inside and returned in a few minutes with the glove, the bat and the ball.

Darry explained the rules to Bobby as best he could, and they started practicing. Darry was glad that he could help, and he was having fun teaching and practicing with Bobby. He felt happy and relaxed, and it reminded him of the days when Pony and Soda were little and he was teaching them stuff. It also made him feel helpful and in charge, like there was a purpose to him.

It was Summer so it didn't get dark until late, but after a while Darry noticed Bobby was yawning a lot. Darry looked at his watch. It was 9 p.m. Alison still wasn't back. "Tired huh?" Darry said, catching the ball. Bobby nodded.

"That's enough for today, champ, it's time to go to bed." Surprisingly Bobby didn't protest. He went inside obediently and went to his bed. "Do you have any books? I'll read you a story." Darry offered, looking around the room. Bobby pointed to the shelf full of books.

"Which one?" Darry asked, looking through a few books.

"That one," Bobby pointed to the _Cat in a Hat,_ and Darry got the book off the shelf.

Bobby got in bed and pulled his blanket up so that only his eyes were showing. Darry opened the book and started reading. They didn't hear when Alison walked into the house. She proceeded into the room, and found Darry reading, while Bobby had his eyes closed. He looked like he was falling asleep, but he opened his eyes when Alison walked into the room.

Darry looked a little uncomfortable, while Alison looked relieved. "Oh, Darryl thank you so much," she started, "I didn't expect to be so late."

"Mommy, mommy," Bobby interrupted, while pulling his blanket off his face, "Darry showed me how to play baseball. I can play now." He sounded really excited.

"Well, that's great honey, you can show me tomorrow. Thank you so much," she said again turning to Darry.

"Will you play with me again tomorrow?" Bobby asked. Both Alison and Darry looked uncomfortable.

"Now, Darryl is a busy man he can't play with you again," Alison said, coming closer to Bobby and giving him a kiss on his forehead. Darry was deeply moved by Bobby's innocence and how Bobby was looking up to him. He wondered what happened with Bobby's father, but he didn't dare to ask.

He cleared his throat and said "No, it's ok if it's ok with your mom, I'll play with you again tomorrow."

Alison looked down, "Thank you Darryl, but you don't have to go through the trouble."

"Oh, it's ok, it's no trouble at all. If it's ok with you, of course. How is your mother?"

"She's going to be ok, thank god," Alison replied, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She looked and sounded tired.

"Well, I better get going, you must be exhausted" Darry said.

"I can say the same about you," she said smiling.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Darry said as he was leaving, "good night Bobby," he said to the boy before exiting the room.

For the next few days Darry was finishing up his job at Alison's. She always invited him for lunch. And at the end of the day he made sure to play some baseball with Bobby for about an hour. He liked this little routine they developed and caught himself wishing his job there wouldn't end. He enjoyed Alison's company, and had to admit it to himself that he was starting to develop feelings for her.

On Wednesday was his last day at Alison's. He finished his work, and she thanked him. Then all of the sudden she spoke up. "I'm playing at the Music Hall next Saturday, would you like to see me play?" There was an awkward silence, Darry didn't know anything about stuff like that. The Music Hall was a fancy place, but to say no would be super rude, and besides he kind of wanted to see her play.

"Sure," he said.

"It's thirty bucks, but as my guest you can get in for free and you get the best seats – front row."

"Thanks," Darry said firmly, "I'll be there. What time does it start?"

"Two in the afternoon. So I'll see you there, thanks again for your work." Alison said smiling. For a moment their eyes met, and she quickly looked away.

On the way home Darry was wracking his brain for what he was going to wear to the Music Hall. He didn't have anything fancy except for an old worn out tux, which definitely wasn't appropriate. What did he get himself into, he thought. Maybe he should've said no. He could still cancel, he could think of an excuse and call her and cancel, but part of him really wanted to go. What would the guys say though he thought, - Him, Darry Curtis going to some fancy piano concert at the Music Hall. He won't hear the end of it. Then he remembered how Soda was saying Alison was cute, and that he's been single for too long, and decided not to cancel.


	4. Chapter 4

When Darry got home he started digging through the closet, and found a somewhat dressy blue shirt and a pair of black slacks. He decided that would be good enough. What about a tie? He thought. He hated ties so he decided against it. They would just have to accept him without a tie.

He got the iron, and went into the living room. Soon enough Soda walked into the room, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He saw Darry ironing the shirt.

"What's that for?"He asked, while chewing. Darry felt a little defensive about the whole situation, but he had to say something.

"Remember how you said I've been single for too long?" He asked Soda as he finished ironing and hanging the shirt on a hanger.

"Uh-huh," Soda nodded, looking puzzled at Darry and taking the last bite of his sandwich.

"Well," Darry paused not sure what to say. "Alison is a pianist, and she invited me to see her play at the Music Hall on Saturday."

"The Music Hall?" Soda gave it a whistle. "That's like a fancy place."

"I know," Darry sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "tell me about it."

Soda was thoughtful for a minute, "so you kind of like this chick then?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"I kind of do," Darry replied, all of the sudden feeling uncomfortable and looking down. He swallowed hard, and Soda laughed at his embarrassment.

"Well, like I said before she's kind of cute."

"There's more to her than that," Darry said firmly.

"You really like her then," Soda laughed again.

At this moment Pony walked into the room. He was going to the kitchen to get something to drink, but saw Soda laughing. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Darry is going on a date with some fancy chick at the Music Hall." Soda snickered.

"The Music Hall? That's really fancy," Pony said, glancing up curiously at Darry.

"That's what I said," Soda agreed, nodding.

"Look," Darry said, a little annoyed, "it's not really a date. Alison just invited me to see her play that's' all."

"Alison, the one that you worked for and she gave you a ride when you sprained your ankle?" Pony asked.

"Yeah," Darry nodded, feeling self-conscious.

"She's really good-looking," Pony approved, "but the Music Hall?"

"I know," Darry sighed again, "what did I get myself into?"

On Saturday, quarter to two Darry was entering the Music Hall. The room was huge with balconies, high ceilings and fancy chandeliers. The lights were dimmed though with a single spotlight on the piano. Darry was nervous and was looking around trying to see what other people were wearing. He was relieved to see that not everyone was wearing a tie. He didn't even put grease in his hair that morning, which he was a little bummed about. He was a greaser and he was proud of it.

Alison spotted him as he walked in, and walked up to meet him. "Hi Darryl," she said, "thank you for coming, let me show you to your seats." At this point Darry hardly heard what she was saying. He was mesmerized by her beauty. She was wearing sequin black dress and a lace shawl over it. Her hair was down and there was glitter in it. She was wearing makeup, but not a lot. Just enough to accentuate her beautiful eyes.

"Darryl?" she called.

"Sorry," he said embarrassed, "you look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said blushing a little, "Let me show you to your seats. It's front row. Best seats in the house." she led him towards the seats. When they approached the seats, he saw an elderly woman and a man sitting in the seats. Bobby was sitting on the woman's lap. Darry realized immediately who they were. They must be her parents, he thought, and now he was going to have to be sitting next to them – awkward.

"Here it is," Alison pointed at the seat. "These are my parents," she added.

"I'm Maria," the woman held her hand out, "I hear you did a wonderful job on that roof."

"Darryl," Darry replied shaking her hand, "and thank you." Maria was wearing a silk brown dress and a big gold necklace around her neck. Her gray hair was in a tight bun. At the moment she had a friendly smile on her face.

"Tony," the guy said next, and Darry shook his hand as well. Tony was wearing a black suit, a white button-down shirt and a black bowtie. He had cufflinks in the cuffs of his shirt. He had jet black hair with gray patches, brushed to the side. He was of a strong built and looked like a pretty tough guy. "Now, I'll leave you here," Alison said, "I gotta go, we are starting in five minutes." She sounded a little nervous.

"You are going to be great," Maria smiled, as Alison walked backstage.

Finally everybody got quiet, and the host announced Alison's name and the piece she was playing. She got on stage and started playing. Darry was sitting next to Maria.

"Oh, isn't she so beautiful?" Maria said affectionately "don't you think?" She asked looking up directly at Darry. Darry felt his face get hot a little - he was sure his face was turning red and it wasn't easy to make Darry turn red, but that right there did it.

"Sure," he said clearing his throat, trying to sound as casual as possible, but it seemed to him that Maria smirked at him.

"Are you married or do you have a girlfriend?" she inconsiderately asked next. That seemed totally out of line to Darry, but the way she said it was very casual as if that was just something people asked all the time. Darry had no choice but to reply. "No, I'm single," he said reluctantly, sinking deeper into his seat.

"Oh," Maria said shaking her head, and her earrings were dangling and shimmering in the light as she spoke. Then she smiled and said again, "Isn't she beautiful? So pretty and talented too." Darry didn't say anything to that, but he was totally captivated by Alison. She looked absolutely beautiful, and the music was really great. Even someone like Darry could appreciate it.

The host announced the next piece Alison was playing. It was Beethoven.

"My favorite composer," Maria said to Darry, "what's yours?" Darry was caught completely off guard. He felt like a school boy that got caught cheating by the teacher. "Mine," he said, running his fingers through his hair, and mentally cursing himself for agreeing to this whole thing, "Mine Beethoven as well."

"My favorite piece is Symphony number nine, but she's not playing that tonight," Maria said, looking through her playbill and then looking up at Darry, "what's yours?" Now Darry really felt humiliated. He didn't know what to say. Then he remembered the piece Alison was playing the other day, what was it called, he couldn't quite remember. "Mine," he cleared his throat, "Moonlight sonnet," he was hoping he got the name right.

"Oh, you mean Moonlight Sonata," Maria corrected him, smiling a little as if she realized Darry was bluffing.

"Yes, that one," Darry nodded. He felt pathetic, and he wished he could just crawl somewhere under the floor.

"It was really nice of you to come today," Maria said next – a serious expression on her face. She seemed not to notice how uncomfortable Darry was.

"Darry been playing baseball with me," Bobby piped up all of the sudden.

"Oh, that's nice," Maria said, patting Bobby on the shoulder. "Do you like playing with Darryl?"

"Yeah, a lot. I didn't know how to play, but he showed me how."

"Well," Maria chuckled and brushed a loose strand of hair off of Bobby's face "my grandson seems to like you, and whoever he likes I like too." Once again Darry was put on the spot, and he didn't know what to say. So he just said, "thank you," politely and tried looking like he was concentrating on the music so they would leave him alone. They seemed to get the message, and for the rest of the show Maria was silent, and Darry finally relaxed a little.

After the whole thing was over, people were clapping and a lot of them walked up on stage and gave Alison flowers. After that she got down and walked up to where Darry and her parents were sitting. To his surprise Darry noticed tears in Tony's eyes. "You were wonderful out there," Tony said to Alison. She smiled softly "thanks daddy." She then looked at Darry and realized he was uncomfortable. There was an awkward silence. "Sorry if that was too much of a drag for you," Alison said to him.

"No, no," he hurried to assure her, "you were great."

They went outside to the car. Darry wanted to ask Alison if he could see her again, but her parents were there, so it was awkward. Suddenly, Maria pulled him aside – "you know," she half whispered as if she was revealing some top secret, "We are throwing her a surprise birthday party in two weeks." She tilted her head to the sides as if to make sure there was no one around, then continued, "I think you should be there. What do you say?"

"I dunno…" Darry started hesitantly, "if it's right…,"

"Oh, stop it," Maria said enthusiastically, looking Darry straight in the eyes. "Of course it's right. In two weeks at three, at her house, I'll see you there," she gave him a knowing smile and a small push, before getting in the car.

Well, Darry thought at least he would be able to ask Alison out then.

"I'll see you around Darry," Alison said getting in the car. She looked a little disappointed, and Darry hoped that she also wished to speak to him, but was not doing so because of her parents or maybe she just wanted him to make the first move.

"Take care," was all Darry said in spite of his thoughts, "bye Bobby," he waved his hand.

"Are you gonna play baseball with me again?" Bobby asked. There was an awkward silence then Alison said, "No Bobby, Darryl is busy."

"But I want to play," Bobby whined.

"Why don't you play with me?" Alison said softly, trying to calm him down.

"But you don't know how to play."

"But you can teach me." That was the last thing Darry heard Alison say before she closed the car door and started the car.

He got in his truck feeling uneasy. It probably wasn't a good idea making the kid used to playing with him knowing that it would have to end. But that's the thing, he thought, maybe it didn't have to end, maybe he could just ask Alison out. He really liked her, and hoped she liked him at least a little bit. She must've or else why did she invite him to see her play. And he noticed how she was blushing when he told her she was great.

Now he was going to see her in two weeks. He felt unsure about it. Will she be glad to see him there or would he be out of place there? He thought maybe he shouldn't go but decided against it. At least then he'd get a chance to ask her out and find out how she really felt about him. But going meant getting her a gift, and he had no idea what would be appropriate. Technically they weren't even friends. He was just her carpenter. That's all he really was. He considered asking Soda's advice since Soda was the ladies' man in the family, but decided against it thinking Soda would laugh at him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited, hope you enjoy:)**

The next day after work Darry found himself in the department store wandering from department to department not sure what to get. After he's been in the store for over an hour he got a weird look from the salesgirl. "Do you need help with anything sir?" She asked.

"Yes," Darry said before even thinking what he was saying, "You see I've been invited to this girl's birthday, and I don't know what to get her. Maybe you could help me out? What would you want to get for your birthday?" The girl hesitated for a moment then said, "I'd like jewelry a nice necklace or a pair of earrings."

Darry cleared his throat, "Would you please help me pick?" he said.

"Sure, how much are you looking to spend?"

"A hundred dollars," Darry said without missing a beat.

"Let me show you some nice jewelry for that amount." she led Darry to the stand with jewelry. It seemed nice, but Darry had no idea which ones to pick. "Which ones would you like?" He asked nervously.

"I personally like those ones," she pointed at the pair of small silver hoops which ended with a small silver cross. "I actually have those," she said.

"They are really nice. Your girl will like them." She was really trying to be helpful, and Darry was happy he got her rather than some pushy sales person who just wanted to sell the stuff and didn't really care about what the customer needed.

"I'll get them," Darry said without hesitating even for a second and getting his wallet out. The earrings were eighty nine dollars, but Darry was prepared to spend the money. The last thing he needed was Alison thinking that he was cheap. He got the earrings and paid for them. He wondered briefly if he should go to the men's department and get an outfit for himself to wear to the birthday but he just spent eighty nine dollars. He couldn't afford an outfit for himself. Jeans will just have to do he thought.

Two weeks passed by really quickly. Darry was nervous to go to this birthday party. First of all he was going to be underdressed. Then he thought if he should get flowers, but thought it would be too fancy and might scare her off. Then he thought if he should put grease in his hair. At first he decided not to, but then thought he was a greaser that's who he was, and if he wanted Alison to like him she would have to acknowledge the fact that he is a greaser so he put grease in his hair after all.

When he approached the house Alison's parents and her friends were already there. "Hi Darryl," Maria rushed to greet him. Darry was hoping she wouldn't make a formal introduction - what would she say 'this is Darryl they carpenter.' Thankfully she didn't do that. Everybody was waiting for Alison to arrive. Finally, they saw through the window her car pull up, and her and Bobby get out of the car.

When Alison and Bobby entered the house "surprise!" everybody yelled. Alison seemed to be caught totally off guard. "You guys," she said smiling. Then she turned to her mother, "you put them up to it?" Maria didn't say anything, just smiled.

"Or was it you Vicky?" Alison turned to one of her friends. Everybody rushed to give her their presents. She accepted the presents smiling and thanking them, saying that they didn't have to go through the trouble. Then she noticed Darry who was standing all the way in the corner since he didn't know any of the people there. "Hi Darryl," she said quietly, walking up to him, "thank you for coming."

"This is for you," Darry said awkwardly, stretching his arm holding a small black box.

"Oh, what is it?" she asked and hesitantly took the box and opened it looking inside. "Oh, you shouldn't have, I can't take these." She protested, stretching her arm and giving the box back to Darry.

"Do you like them?" Darry said apprehensively, catching her hand and placing the box firmly into her palm and covering it with his hand.

"They are beautiful," she replied quietly, trying to place the box back into Darry's hand "but I can't take them."

"Why not?" he leaned against the wall, and was looking Alison straight in the eyes. She was silent for a moment then spoke up, "You must've spent the whole amount you earned from fixing my roof. I can't take these."

"What I spent is not important. It would really mean a lot to me if you take them," Darry said running his fingers through his hair. His voice quivered slightly as he spoke.

"I dunno Darryl," she started.  
"Please, It'd mean a lot to me," he insisted.

"Ok," she finally gave up, "thank you, they are beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them," Darry let go of her hand.

At this moment Maria brought out the cake from the kitchen. She started cutting and giving out slices. After having the cake everybody was just hanging out, mingling, talking, and enjoying themselves. Somebody put the records on, and the music filled the house. Alison was talking to everybody thanking them for coming and for the presents, doing what a hostess was supposed to do. That left Darry sitting awkwardly all alone on the couch since he didn't know anybody. Alison was clearly busy, and he was waiting for the right moment when he could get her attention and ask her out.

Finally, Darry noticed Alison going outside. He hesitated a moment then decided to go after her. Maybe he could ask her out then, he thought. He walked out of the house to see Alison sitting on the old swings. Darry walked up to her.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing ,"she replied, smiling and looking slightly embarrassed, "just wanted to escape all the noise and chaos."

"It's really nice out," Darry noticed, pushing the swings slightly.

"It is." she agreed, staring into the distance.

"So tell me," Darry said, "how did you get to be a piano instructor?" He pushed the swings again. He was hoping to start a conversation and then ask her out.

"Well, don't laugh, but I actually wanted to be a singer. At the age of fifteen I ran away to L.A. to pursue singing. I was trying to get an agent and get signed while waitressing during the day. But the only thing the agent seemed interested in was fooling around." She sighed remembering the past.

"I'd like to hear you sing," Darry said, grinning at her and pushing the swings harder.

"That would never happen," she replied playfully, then continued, "So anyway, I stayed in L.A. for two whole years, then Bobby happened and I got home fast. My mother encouraged me to go to a music school. She was willing to pay for it so I went and that's how I got to be a piano instructor. I absolutely love what I do. Life is too short not to do what you love." She looked dreamingly into the distance, her eyes a little glossy as she said that. Darry sighed.

"What the matter?" she asked looking up at him.

"Well, I dunno why I'm telling you this, but my dream was to go to college and get into sports medicine. That's what I'd love to do, and you are right life's too short not to do what you love."

"So why didn't you?" she asked, curiosity in her voice. He hesitated for a moment, "well… my parents were killed in a car crash."

"Oh my God I'm so sorry," she interrupted, a shocked expression on her face.

"That's ok," Darry looked down. He paused for a moment, swallowing hard, then continued, "but after it happened I had to get a job so I could take care of my two younger brothers. Otherwise we would be split up and they would be put in a boys' home and I couldn't stand that. So that's how I got to be a carpenter. I like it ok and the pay is decent but it isn't what I dreamed of doing." He sighed again.

"It's really admirable what you did for your brothers. The sacrifice you made. I've always respected people who started with nothing and made something of their lives and didn't just waste it as many do." Alison said firmly, "My grandparents came from Italy with nothing. My grandmother worked as a seamstress at the factory and my grandfather sold insurance door to door. They sacrificed a lot so I could have a better life."

"I guess I' m ok with being a carpenter," Darry said.

The music was playing in the distance, "oh that's my favorite song," Alison said. "Would you care to dance?" Darry stretched out his hand. She took it. They started moving slowly with the music. They were dancing really close to each other and their eyes met. This was a perfect moment to ask her out Darry thought. He felt like he wanted to kiss her, but thought that would be inappropriate. So he decided to ask her to go to dinner with him instead. He cleared his throat, and was going to ask her when she suddenly leaned in and started kissing him. Darry felt his heart beat faster. So she likes me after all and not just a little bit, he thought, getting lost in the kiss.


End file.
